Comment by knightofmars | Hacker News Reader

Comment by knightofmars | Hacker News Reader

You are a mercenary.

  * Loyalty does not exist (company, coworkers, etc)
  * You dictate pay for the work you do (or leave the job)
  * You dictate your own hours (overtime is your own choice not company's)
  * Strive to always provide maximum value (efficiency not time spent)
  * Focus on keeping a core set of skills sharp
  * Quit if conditions are untenable

When a person does the above, they start focusing on how to provide value instead of "doing a job". A person can be a phenomenal engineer and yet have a poor career because they never figured out how to be a valuable engineer.

> Loyalty does not exist (company, coworkers, etc)

I can't quite call myself a veteran engineer yet, but loyalty and positive relationships with coworkers is a huge boon. I agree that companies will often screw you. Manager and policies can change in an instant and they only look out for their self interests.

But coworkers? Find great coworkers that you work well with and you will always have job opportunities. If a coworker jumps ship to another company, it's likely because the pay and benefits are better. Now I have an "in" for a referral plus insight into how the company operates and how I'll get along with the team.

I do agree with all the other points though.

A network of current and ex-co-workers is valuable. The point I was trying to make was that a person shouldn't stay in a position solely out of a sense of comradery or loyalty to one's co-workers.

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